Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane! No, wait. It’s much better than that. It’s Arkansas Balloon Festival 2019, Sept 6-8, 2019 in Harrison, AR!
The Arkansas Hot Air Balloon State Championships are a popular annual event, held in Harrison, AR since 1995. While the event is primarily a chance for balloon pilots to show off their skills, that’s not all. The three-day event also features helicopter rides, skydiving, tethered balloon rides, food, drink, and goods vendors, and live music.
The Arkansas Balloon Festival runs in conjunction with the CASA Kids Fest, so there wil be plenty to distract the little ones, as well. Inflatables to bounce around in and on, police and fire vehicles to inspect, face painting, construction projects, and other distractions.
Balloon Glows, Key Grabs, and More!
Arkansas Balloon Festival 2019 kicks off at 4pm on Friday evening at the Boone County Regional Airport (2524 Airport Rd, Harrison, AR 72601) with a full schedule. This first evening includes a FREE live concert, wine and beer gardens, brick oven pizza, and an ever-popular balloon glow.
If you’re not familiar with the term “balloon glow,” it’s one of the more popular exhibitions you’ll see at a ballooning event. Hot air balloon glows typically occur when the sun is down, or nearly so. The balloons are filled with hot air by the burners and allowed to ascend slightly while still tethered to the ground. The burners dramatically light up the balloons against the darkened sky and, before you know it, you have a magnificent display of graceful color and light filling your view. Spectacular!
The fun continues on Saturday with more of the same plus a Fly-In and the first Arkansas Hot Air Balloon State Championship event: a Key Grab Competition. Key Grabs are where balloon pilots jockey to be the first to maneuver towards and collect a ring fastened to the top of a tall pole. So exciting!
Sunday sees more balloon flights and competitions, now moved to the Anstaff Soccer Complex (202 Old Stonewall Rd, Harrison, AR 72601). The full schedule is below.
Arkansas Balloon Festival 2019 Schedule
Friday, September 6 (at Boone County Regional Airport)
4pm to 7pm – Tandem Skydiving
4pm to 9pm – Helicopter Rides, Brick Oven Pizza, Beer & Wine Garden, Retail Vendors
6pm to 8pm – CASA Kids Corner Inflatables
6:30pm to 7pm – Harrison Fire Department Tribute to Jim McCammon
7pm to 8pm – Hot Air Balloon Glow
7pm to 9pm – Free Concert
Saturday, September 7 (at Boone County Regional Airport)
7am to 8:30am – Balloon Flights and Key Grab Competition
9:30am – Helicopter Rides, Kendall Fowler Fly-In, Pets for Adoption
9:30am to 4pm – Tandem Skydiving
11am to 9pm – Brick Oven Pizza, Beer & Wine Garden
12pm to 2pm – Children’s Construction Projects
12pm to 8pm – CASA Kids Corner Inflatables, Police and Fire Vehicle Tours
2pm to 4pm – Imagination Library Kids’ Book Reading
6pm to 9pm – Tethered Hot Air Balloon Rides
Sunday, September 8 (at Anstaff Soccer Complex)
7am to 8:30am – Balloon Flights and Key Grab Competition
2019 Arkansas Hot Air Balloon State Championships
Boone County Regional Airport – 2524 Airport Rd, Harrison, AR 72601
Anstaff Soccer Complex – 202 Old Stonewall Rd, Harrison, AR 72601
Visit arkansasballoonfest.com for more details.
Visit www.arkansasballoonfest.com for more details. You can also follow this event on Facebook.
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